December 07, 2014

HUFFPO GAY VOICES: AFTER DARK

Many performers/promoters from Jayne County to Frankie Sharp to Amanda Lepore were asked the same question:

"As New York City continues to change, especially with some arguing that the city increasingly functions to primar

ily serve the wealthy and elite, what do you see as the role and future of nightlife for queer artists and performers in this new vision of NYC?"

"I don't think it's any different for straight performers -- we all have to eke out a living and get inspired by what is now a glitzy, homogenized shopping mall. I now notice a lot of club performers shifting to working private events as clubs die down. The difference is, we are doing the roles that we are cast in rather than actually expressing ourselves in the way that we want, knowing that a cool crowd will come to support our endeavors. If we want to preserve the funky and diverse feeling of NYC, those of us who cherish it must make an extra effort to appreciate those who still strive to create a vibe.

I also notice clubs are dying, not only because of wealthy, new residents who aren't going out much due to their day jobs, but also because of the Internet. There's an online 'community' and many people seem to prefer socializing online with likes and retweets or in chat rooms. Any good club or good promoter creates a vibe that makes people want to physically meet up in a space you must travel to. But many peoples' inclination is to not leave their homes and try to catch performances on YouTube. Younger people are even shying away from making phone calls, so you can best believe that the need for actually assembling in a club with others is dying.

The party is on your phone, and it goes everywhere you go. And you sit gazing into it or taking selfies when you do actually make it out. That way, you can suck the energy from the party you actually made it to and funnel it back to Internet to get more likes and retweets. So, the technology seems to be connecting people with distractions and an overload of often meaningless click-bait, but leaving them unable to focus on even dancing and socializing for very long without referring to their device.

I know I sound old -- but who needs hashtags when they have skin tags?" --Lady Bunny, Drag Icon and Wigstock Founder